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From top, Paul Willmott in his studio. Focusing on art helps him cope mentally and physically with the onset of Parkinson’s disease. The shakes caused the wavy lines in Paul’s first painting, but he likes the effect.
Drawing a straight line can sometimes be a challenge for artist Paul Williamson, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2007.
However, he never lets this get in the way of producing a finished watercolour painting.
The walls of his home in Millwater feature many of his works. He paints prolifically, often completing a painting from pencil sketch to finished watercolour in half a day.
Around 20 of his paintings go on display at Estuary Arts Centre this week in an exhibition that Paul calls Art Saved Me.
Eleven years ago, the competitive sailor and sales director noticed a flicker in the muscle on his left arm. Following the Parkinson’s diagnosis, Paul’s marriage ended, he lost his job and his mother died.
In the dark days that followed, he took anti-depressants and kept himself active, cycling around Orewa Estuary and looking at the artwork on the walls of the arts centre.
Although he studied engineering drawing at college, with a view to becoming an architect, his sales career got in the way. He hadn’t drawn anything since he was at college, but decided he needed a hobby to fill the long days.
“As soon as I put my brush on the paper, I felt the stress levels drop, and with it the shakes improved,” he says. “You have to concentrate everything on your hand as you draw.”
He paints a wide range of subject matter, landscapes and portraits, largely from photographs.
Some of the proceeds of sales from his exhibition go to the Parkinson’s Foundation, which has asked him to share his story with others who have Parkinson’s around the country. “Originally I said ‘no’, because it will be stressful, but I think I’ll do it,” he says. “I will take paint and brushes and show how it can help. If I can inspire just one person with a disability like mine to try painting, then I have succeeded.”
Art Saved Me is on at Estuary Arts Centre in Orewa, February 1 to March 4.
